LPS Watch List: July 2015

Each month we bring you a roundup of landscape performance news worth sharing – the latest in research, tools, and innovative thinking related to the measurable environmental, social, and economic benefits of sustainable landscapes.

New Tool Assesses the Benefits of Sustainable Drainage Systems

CIRIA | Jul 1, 2015This new Excel-based calculator from the Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA) estimates a range of benefits for “sustainable drainage systems,” including green roofs, rain gardens, swales, wetlands, and trees. More

Designers Hope to Measure How a New Bronx Park Changes Lives

NEXT CITY | Jul 8, 2015The Haven Project aims to chronicle exactly how open space and infrastructure improvements impact the health of those around them through years of data collection and analysis. More

When Good Intentions Aren’t Enough: Linking Intent to Impact

NEXT CITY | Jul 13, 2015Design for equity means holding ourselves more accountable to the things that we create. It is critical that we evaluate the outcomes to see if the impact we seek to have is the impact that we actually have. More

Quantifying Stormwater Benefits of Trees and Soil Part 1

DEEPROOT | Jul 13, 2015Tree stormwater benefits can be quantified using different tools. This series describes uses and pros and cons of a number of representative models and calculators, starting with an overview. More

How Walking in Nature Changes the Brain

NEW YORK TIMES | Jul 22, 2015A new study investigated the effect that a walk in nature has on a person’s tendency to brood. Participants did not dwell on the negative aspects of their lives as much as they had been before the walk. More

What Is a Tree Worth?

NEW YORKER | Jul 23, 2015By comparing two large data sets from the city of Toronto, a new study shows that an additional ten trees on a given block corresponded to a 1% increase in how healthy nearby residents feel. More

Quantifying Stormwater Benefits of Trees and Soil Part 2

DEEPROOT | Jul 27, 2015Part 2 of this series provides an introduction to various single event stormwater models – like HyrdoCAD, TR-55, and the Rational Method – to quantify the stormwater benefits of trees. More

Saving Lives with Smart Urban Design

THE DIRT | Jul 27, 2015A new report by the World Resources Institute (WRI) Ross Center for Sustainable Cities offers evidence-based best practices that cities can use to put an end to traffic deaths and injuries. More